Nakama
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: Being born cannot be called a sin. Simply existing cannot be called a sin. This is a story of a very lonely little girl who knew only darkness and deceit. What will happen when she meets someone just like her? Will she find a nakama? NarutoxRobin. Fluff!
1. Live

**_A/N: Bad news kiddies. I'm not getting any better. I hope this isn't cancer, but for now, I'm still here, and my mind, as you can tell from this story, is still very much intact! And on another note, I hate hate HATE sad stories, so I decided to rectify it in the case of one Nico Robin! This takes place during the Buster Call at Ohara, when all of a sudden, all the Buster Call Ships are mysterious sunk by a certain pirate...MWAHAHA!_**

**_Convergence_**

_"I'm...I'm, going to die!'_

She scrambled over a bed of wet cobblestones, her dress soaked from the chilly stream below, her shirt from the freezing drizzle above. She slumped backwards against a large boulder, her mouth hanging slack as she gasped for breath. She knew what was behind her, somewhere beyond the stone, its frantic eyes prowling the gulley for any sign of her; the tongues of flame still burning high into Ohara. She looked down at what had once been her left arm, now burnt to such an extent that she could barely even force it into a fist.

How had this happened?

A dull _whump _signaled the boulder's destruction at her back. She curled into a ball and somehow succeeded in shielding a bruised rib from the worst of the blast. and then their was only the intensity of raw travesty to greet her flailing form. Her face became intimate with the ground in a way that no self-respecting child should want and then she saw the ground twsit before her; because she was on her feet, running again.

_'I have to get away!'_

Tendrils of crimson light burst forth from his body as his adversaries cringed in fear. Men, women, animals and villagers alike, all threw themselves aside, lest they be caught in a furious maelstrom of scarlet. Men, women, children, none were spared. Many writhed uncontrollably within bleeding tendrils of smoke and flame. Still others caught fire, mingling flickering hues of red and orange with those that pervaded the scene.

And still she ran.

_'No..._

Her feet drummed against the ground.

_'No!'_

The pounding beat of her stride originated in her heels and ran up her legs, through her hips, and along her spine until it terminated at the base of her skull, where the recurring impact jarred her teeth and exacerbated the headache that seemed to worsen with every passing step. She couldn't hear the sound of her pursuers any longer; the thunder was all but deafening in her ears, drowning out all else.

_'I don't wanna die!'_

She smacked into something hard.

"I wouldn't go that way if I were you."

She turned her head southward; warily eyeing the precipice from which the voice had emerged. There, outlined against the harsh afternoon sun, a shadow. The silhouette was soon joined by another, another, and another still. Abruptly, those shadows slithered inward, the duplicates reforming into one whole being; a man. He laughed; it was a deep and throaty sound, and it utterly terrified her.

And then he was gone in a spool of dust.

Surely it was the wind.

But the dust didn't settle, and there was no wind tonight. Still, the dust seemed to swirl in one place, gathering in one of the patches of moonlight nearest to her. She gave a small cry and shrank away from it; skittering back as the wind that was not wind became a whirlwind, and then a tiny tornado. Though there was still no wind, something was taking shape, black specks obscuring and spinning at a dizzying pace to the height of six tornado glowed an iridescent, scintillating shade of shot out and danced across the floor and she cried out.

"W-What...?"

Taking shape through the tornado was a man, or something like a man. The figure flashed blue, spraying light in every direction, and she wasn'r fast enough to cover her eyes. When she looked again, whens he dared to open her eyes, a figure unlike any she had ever seen stood between her and the ocean. The man appeared to be carved from glossy red and black marble or shaped from liquid metal, save for a white-clothed and scratched _band of metal _wrapped around his right bicep.

She blinked rapidly.

_'What is that thing?'_

His clothes weren't so much clothes as skin, though he appeared to wear shoes and was sexless, his whole body was unrelieved black and every contour was crisply defined. He was lean and every muscle was etched, from his shoulders to his V of a chest to his stomach to his legs. There was something wrong about his skin, though. At first, the man or demon or statue made of flesh had reflected light like burnished steel. Now, only parts of him gleamed, the crescents of his biceps, the horizontal slashes of his abdominal muscles. The rest of him faded from glossy black to faded scarlet whenever the shadows touched his being as he raised a hand toward her.

She swallowed once.

"Oi!" He bellowed loudly, his sapphiric gaze locking upon her, obliterating the distance between them. "Nico Robin!" He waved boisterously, the picture of ignorance as he rose upward from the flames that boiled on the hill behind them. It was then that the shadows abruptly departed. Exposed for the world to see; a weatherworn visage bearing what looked like six scars on either cheek...were those whiskers?

Slowly, the demonic shield peeled away from his face. Slowly, he revealed himself. Kami, he wasn't a demon at all. _He was young._ He ran a hand through his rough blond hair, offering a terse smile as he beckoned. She gawped upward at him, this strange ghoul that had emerged from the fires of hell itself to stand before her. The apparition, human, or whatever creature he was, paused, and cleared its throat.

_"This way!"_ He called out to her loudly! "Come this way if you want to live, Nico Robin!"

_'Live?'_ The word struck a chord in her, deep, deep into her soul. No. She daren't think about what had happened to her mother and the rest of Ohara. She felt her gaze swivel, sweeping across the cape, searching for some manner of escape. Anything to validate this strange man's claim. _Inadvertantly,_ it locked upon a skull and crossbones. No more than a few yards from the shore, a ship.

_A pirate ship._

She froze, gawping at the skull and crossbones that hung off the massive galeon. The words turned to ash in her throat as she observed the black specks of movement racing about to ready the ship for its departure. People, she supposed. His crewmates, perhaps? She couldn't discern any of their features from this dtiance, but the ship's jolly roger well that was another matter.

Carved in the distinct likeness of a grinning fox, the skull leered at her through the flames. Nine tails of pure crimson were wrapped around the crossbones; winding their way into the kitsune's teeth in an eerie semblance of cannibalism. From the hilltop, it almost looked as though the fox was devouring itself. And that grin! Even as the flag whipped its way across the breeze, she couldn't help but derive a small sound of dismay.

_The skull was grinning maniacally._

"Hurry up!" The man was already striding past her, leaving her to trail in the shadow of his cape. With every step that he took, the strange black armor flaked away from him; revealing human flesh lurking beneath the strange shell that shielded him from the heat. What ability was this? Had he eaten a Devil's Fruit? Or was this merely some sort of apparatus meant to shield him from the heat of the fire?

"H-Hai!"

Regardless, Nico Robin felt the bare soles of her feet scrape across the bare and ashen soil. She was following him. Without a thought, without even the slightest consideration as to why a stranger had placed some measure of value upon her life, she followed him. He spared a percersurory glance over his shoulder. His was a strange expression that he wore, one that the young Robin hadn't seen before, nor recognized.

"Are you afraid of me?" He asked quietly.

Robin stiffened inexplicably.

"I suppose you should be." The blond exhaled heavily. "Mah, no worries. We're on the same-_oh bugger."_ He swung a leg backward, and the horizon inexplicably brightened to her right behind her. In a hairsbreadth, his leg lanced outward; and so too did a crescent of cutting energy. She hadn't the time to see anything more than that as it struck its intended target.

"Rankyaku!" The youth spat exposlively.

Someone screamed. His leg swiftly descended and became little more than an electric blue blur as he lashed out a second time. And a third. Followed by a fourth; a fifth, and still a sixth, ravaging the ground eacth time as he lashed out into the night. Then, as suddenly as the barrage had begun, it ended. The unamed pirate lowered his limb for no more than an instant, and then the night was filled with the cries of her pursuers once more.

"Stop him! Don't let him escape!"

The marines!

"Persistent insects." Robin had just enough time to hear the muttered oath before something swung her upright. And afforded her a better look at her so-called saviour. For a man who was supposed to be a pirate, he certainly looked the part. An orange captain's jack slung over his shoulder, a bottle of whiskey in his hand_-was he really old enough to be drinking-_accompanied by a ruffled vest and a pair of trousers, the varying hues of red and black; garments that any child would expect to find on some storybook pirate.

Nico Robin knew better.

"A-Are you really a pirate?"

"Ha!" He snapped back and shrugged mightily, nearly disloding her in the process. "Am I really a pirate? What kind of bullshit is that? Eh? Oi!" She cried out and clung to his shoulder as the impromptu heave-ho lurched her onto his back. A bit of scrambling and she was able to successfully reclaim her perch. But those precious few seconds had cost her most dear.

Lightning flashed across the sky spread in that instant; then the world faded to black. For an instant, just an instant Robin had a fleeting glimpse of Ohara. Tears sprang to her eyes and she struggled in vain to stifle them.

Suddenly there was only silence in that deep dark place.

Red flame evolved to orange and yellow, melting the forest around them. He smiled, the shaggy shade of blond eclipsing his face for just a moment. An orange curtain ripped through the air and swept forward at a breakneck pace. The flame split the clouds and sent a wave of superheated steam blasting from it. And he slowed. Slowed, untl there was naught to distinguish their shadows between one another.

"Naruto."

Robin blinked sporadically.

"N-Nani?"

"Don't you 'nani' me!" The blond snapped back. "That's my name! Naruto! Uzumaki D. Naruto!"

Apparently revealing the initial of D was not wise.

_'Saul..._

After a while he realized that she was shaking inside his oversized cloak, and she failed to stifle a sob. He frowned over her shoulder, trying to decide if it was kinder to leave her to her thoughts for a time, distract her with meaningless conversation, or draw her out and let her tell her story. Half an hour ago, he hadn't even known her. Now he found himself in the awkward position of comforting her and quite frankly, such a task was terrifying.

Naruto fumed at himself.

She'd seen more murder and cruelty in a few hours than most people do in a lifetime. And he'd certainly contributed to it with his furious skirmish on the beach. All she knew of him was that he'd stolen her out of her home, savagely cutting down anyone in his path. Regardless of the reasons he gave for his actions, she had to wonder whether his motives were truly honorable or not. And he was a pirate for crissakes!

Not knowing what to do, he squeezed her and said,

"It's over now, Robin."

She nodded but did not answer. She held him tighter. Such strength! He felt a rib begin to crack under the strain of her renewed vice; the likes of which was almost enough to drive the oxygen from his lungs and leave him altogether breathless. She fisted her hands into the lappels of his jacket; her tears doing more damage than any violence she could ever commit. Abashed by her actions and what felt like butterflies boiling in his stomach, the blond contented himself; he would wait as long as neccessary.

Everything was gone.

"Oi, kozo!" A male voice mercilessly sliced through the dense fog and flame of Robin's depression. "We're ready do depart! Hurry up and get on board!" Robin warily peeked her head out of her saviour's cloak and saw a man with ridiculously long white hair coming towards them. 'Strange old man.' She mused to herself. What kind of self respecting pirate wore red facepaint and make-up _and_ dressed like a japanese sage?

_Apparently this man._

"Oi." Naruto prodded Robin gently. "We're here."

**"?"**

By the time Robin had recovered enough to speak, the ship already loomed before her vision. Encompassing half of the cove in which it had landed, the massive galleon was in the process of having its sails unfurled and the anchor lines drawn when one of the crewmen finally took notice of her. Robin took one look at the salty old geezer and curled herself inward, shielding her face fromt he peculair individual that was approaching.

"Eeeeeh?" Another long and drawn out voice drawled. "You brought a kid back with you, gaki?"

"Urusei!" Naruto barked a retort. "Ero-senin!"

The old man tittered softly to himself.

"Well well, looks like my apprentice has a soft spot after all!" Robin flushed away from his exuberance. "Are you sure you want to be venturing with my apprentice, little lady?"

"I'm not you're apprentice anymore!" Naruto glowered impotently. "I'm the captain now, remember!"

"And you're sure you want to make any enemy of the World Government on your first day?" The elderly man quipped in response, his gaze sliding back to the as of yet silent Nico Robin. "I don't think the crew's going to be appreciating that at all, senchou." His voice all but dripping with sarcasm, he offered a half-hearted shrug. "Well, since _I'm_ not the captain anymore, if you want to make another enemy for yourself and Dragon, that's on your head, _not mine."_

"Get on the blasted ship already Jiraiya!" Naruto roared! "Or I'll tell Baa-chan where you've been getting the inspiration for your next book!" His eyes gleamed evily; because the man known now as Jiraiya, had gone utterly pale. Robin blinked at the mention of inspiration and literature. What kind of books did this man write, she wondered? In the end, she couldn't help herself but to ask.

"Ano...ossan?" She began weakly; scrubbing at her tears with the back of a hand. "M-May I ask what kind of book you're writing?"

"IT'S NOT OSSAN!" Jiraiya bellowed! "I'm still in my prime I'll have you know! And my Iccha Iccha Paradise is quite popular, too! I'll have you know, its-

"DO NOT!" Naruto clapped both hands over Robin's still virgin ears; subsuquently striking his former master in the face with both feeth as he did so. "One more word from you and I'll have you walk the plank, Ero-senin!"

"Um...

"Ooh, scary!" Jiraiya cackled mirthfully, just before he recognied the red gleam in the eyes of his student. "Alright I'm going, I'm going!" After what felt like an eternty, Naruto finally removed his hands from Robin's ears with a heavy and half-hearted sigh. Robin didn't think she had any idea she'd understood a word of what they'd been saying. What kind of book was so scandalous that even she couldn't hear about it?

"Sorry, this is a bit much to take in all at once isn't it?" Naruto shook his head in thinly concealed contempt for the lecherous man that had intruded upon their privacy. "He's a crazy old pervert, but he took me in I was young, so go easy on him, alright?" Without another word, he turned and began addressing orders to his crew. Ironically, Nico Robin was grateful for the sudden lack of attention, as it gave her some desperately needed time to sort everything out.

Was this what she had been spared for?

Robin felt her head begin to spin as she was led toward the ship. Was this really happening? Had she come so close to death, only to be wrested away from at the last instant? It was almost too good to be true. She couldn't help it. Hot tears sprang back to her eyes again; because the words of Jaguar D. Saul were suddenly so very vivid in her mind. How could she have known that they might come so soon to pass?

_"Listen up Robin. Even though you're alone now, someday, surely you're gonna meet your nakama. The ocean is vast. Someday, surely, your nakama will appear to protect you."_

"W-Where are you taking me?" She whispered at last, swallowing grimly as Naruto led her up the ramp that would eventually lead the two of them into the bowels of the ship. "Where are we going?" Naruto spared one last glance at the burning shores of Ohara and smiled. Robin felt her face flare a furious shade of red when the blond took her hands and pulled her onto the deck of his vessel, his words bringing joyous tears to her eyes.

_ ...to live."_

The faces that greeted here were not ones of scorn or derision; they were the exact opposite. Amongst them confusion and skepticism could be seen. There was no hate to be found here; there was no fear, only a smattering of dotted amongst the female and more matronly members of his crew. Some of his men looked charigned to be seen in such a state, soot covered and dirty as they were from their brush with death.

But not a single word of spite was uttered.

"L-Live?" She spluttered softly.

_"Uh."_

Naruto's face was the warmest of them all.

"You're going to _live,_ Nico Robin."

That night, for the first night in a very long, _long time,_ Nico Robin _did not_ cry herself to sleep.

**_A/N: Hahaha! I'm just on a One Piece roll this month! Anyway, feel free to guess what Devil Fruit Naruto has, though I can tell you straight out, it is NOT the Mera Mera no mi, nor is it any that I've used thus far. However, it IS Logia, given what I've displayed, or it might be something else altogether. By the way, I hope you all enjoyed your first glimpse at the crew of the Kyuubi! Also, Naruto's age will be revealed in the next chapter, as will the rest of the crew of the S.S. Kyuubi!_**


	2. Journey

**_A/N: Bad news kiddies. I'm not getting any better. I hope this isn't cancer, but for now, I'm still here, and my mind, as you can tell from this story, is still very much intact! And on another note, I hate hate HATE sad stories, so I decided to rectify it in the case of one Nico Robin! We'll hit a timeskip eventually, but not quite yet. Don't worry, Naruto's secret-its a big one-will soon be revealed!_**

**_Journey_**

Nico Robin awoke to darkness.

There was a moment of terror when she had no idea where she was, and the thought of waking to find that it had been just that, a dream, prompted a hoarse whimper from her lips. It overwhelmed her. It seemed as if there was no air, that she would suffocate, here, amongst the sheets. No. _No!_ It couldn't have been a dream! Then she calmed as she realized that the only thing surrounding her were a strong pair of human arms.

_**"?"**_

Naruto slept, curled into her as he held her protectively. She could hear his soft breathing against her neck, feel the beating of his heart through his chest. It was a comforting feeling and she relaxed and let her heart slow. Ordinarily, waking in the arms of a stranger-especially a pirate stranger-would be far from comforting. And yet, she could not bring herself to refuse. Some small part of her yearned for comfort; she ached at the very thought of turning away from the warmth his body offered.

She had just enough time to smile before the adrenaline deserted her; she plunged back into her abysmal slumber. Bereft now of the grief and agony to which she had grown so accustomed, her mind was left to its own devices, she dreamt many a dream now as she slept. The waves rocked the boat and lulled her into a sweet and gentle slumber,a sleep from which she would awaken to find a new life waiting for her.

And the dreams churned in fits and spurts as she slept.

One moment Robin was there at the moment of the Buster call; helpless, inert, as she watched her home be destroyed. The next, she was staring up into perpetual smile of her only friend Jaguar D. Saul; weeping as she turned and ran. Ran for her very life as the Marine Vice Admiral's walked afterwards. His words drilled into the deepest darkest recesses of her mind and lodged themselves there as the fear ebbed and swelled within her breast.

And then, just as he had before, the pirate appeared.

_"Come with me!"_ His words hedged themselves with desperation as the flames spread around them. "Nico Robin!" Somehow, despite the ghoulish flame spread between them, there was no hesitation in her this time. Slowly, the nightmare already dissolving around her feet, she reached for his hand.

_...ah!"_

She awoke to warmth of white sheets and the sound of snorting. Nico Robin blinked, brushing back the blankets in which she was so firmly wrapped. Her eyes widened all too explosively at the sight that greeted her there. Sprawled out across the floor, with naught but the hardened deck to greet his body, lay Uzumaki D. Naruto. It was he who was snoring Robin realized as she slipped out of bed, warily approaching the pirate that had sprawled himself out across the floor.

Robin poked him in the cheek.

_...urgh."_

He groaned, twitched and flopped over onto his stomach.

_**"!"**_

This was real.

Not knowing what else to do, she half-staggered half-stumbled outside, jerking the door open without any heed to the loud creak. She lurched out onto the deck, dumbstruck and dumbfounded to find that, save for a man in the crow's nest, the ship was utterly desserted on deck. But that was not the cause which left her speechless. She was all too aware of the distant sound of the gulls sweeping too and fro from the mast, and the furled sails, to which the jolly roger hung limp without wind in the cloudy sky. _Cold._ It was bitter, bitterly cold, and she didn't have a jacket. Nico Robin took in all these things and more.

Suddenly she had to fight to choke down the tears.

It wasn't a dream; nor was it some paltry illusion. This was not fiction, but fact. Because she was awake. She felt the floorboards creak beneath her feet, the salty spray of the open ocean on her cheeks, and the wind in her hair. For a moment her heart ached. She longed for the gentle summer breeze that was Ohara. She pined for the warm, secure comfort of her mother's embrace.

She quivered, suddenly realizing the truth of it all. She was alone. Terribly, terribly alone. Stranded aboard a pirate vessel; taken in by cuthroats and scalliwags, of which she knew virtually nothing. Granted, Naruto seemed kind, but would he be so lenient when he realized the terrible truth; the sin of her existence? _No._ Her mind told her this while her heart screamed yes, yes, yes, a thousand times over.

No, of course he wouldn't.

"You miss her, huh?"

Robin squeaked out a reply as someone draped a furt coat across her diminutive frame. She cursed herself for her weakness; because she pulled tight the coat; snuggling her body against the many furs for warmth. Only then did her heart sink. Only then, did the crushing depravity of it all sink down into her very soul. She missed her mother. Nico Olivia, the woman whom she'd known for all of an instant, reunited; and callously ripped away.

"Yes." she choked out.

"Ah." The voice replied. "I understand."

"Do you?" Came her forlorn whispered reply.

_'More than you know.'_

Naruto spared her a glance, revealing that it was _he_ who had settled his hand upon her shoulder. He allowed a moment of silence to pass as Robin contemplated her future; if she had any place on this ship, if she even deserved to live, when the rest of Ohara had perished. Knowing that such wounds took time to heal, he bid himself be still, and the vigil, though it proved to be difficult, carried on in silence.

Abruptly he grinned, all knavish enthusiasm once more.

"So," He began softly, "The Hana Hana no mi, huh?"

_"Nani?"_ Robin blinked, the death of her friends and family momentarily forgotten. For him to have named a Devil Fruit out of the blue was nothing short of extraordinary. Then again, Naruto had been-and still was she reminded herself-one of the few people to witness her unique ability and not piss himself. In fact, as she stared up at him, into those deep and matchless pools of frozen sapphire, she thought she detected just a _hint_ of amusement lingering there.

_'How does he know that?'_

Robin hesitated. She understood Naruto's unspoken question: was she already beyond help? Even if she wasn't, he was all too aware of what she had suffered through. Would he abandon her, like the rest, if she confided in him? If she told him the truth? That the World Government was going to hunt her down? What kind of self-serving pirate could make such an enemy and hope to emerge unscathed? What kind of pirate desired such a relentless foe?

"I...

Certainly not him. Certainly not-

_"I ate one too." _

_"W-What?"_

"I've eaten the _Taiyō Taiyō no mi."_ Naruto interrupted brusquely. "Say, have you heard about that one, Robin?" Robin blinked, frowned, and blinked again. When no reply was immediately forthcoming, Naruto snickered softly, as if he found this to be amusing, somehow. He tousled her hair gently with one hand, and raised the other for the sky. At once, the atmosphere began to swirl inward, inching away from the invisible tremor that emanated within his fist.

_**"?"**_

"Let me show you." he said.

Red flame evolved to orange and yellow, gently glazing across the deck around them. And then it changed. Morphing from the traditional blaze that was fire and flame, specks of white and black and blue dotted themselves amongst their bretheren and overtook each of them. Within seconds, the orange and yellow had been completely overwhelmed by their bretheren and engulfed within a strange myriad of azure and ebony and onyx.

Robin blinked, fascinated by the colors that fell from the sky. Like tongues of flame, they bequeathed light to all they touched, and refused to spread their flames. Some fell to the waters below, others simply perched upon nearby cargo scattered about the deck, and still others forsook the galleon entirely; opting rather to lay themselves about either shoulder of their master, the latter raising his shoulders in a beatific shrug when Robin finally dared turn her gaze toward him.

"Pretty...

Naruto smiled, a shaggy shade of blond eclipsing his face for just a moment. An orange curtain ripped through the air and swept skyward at a breakneck pace. The flame split the clouds and sent a wave of superheated steam blasting from it. Plowing through the atmosphere, it slowed. _Slowed,_ until there was naught left to distinguish from his body or the crystaline embers that splayed themselves about the deck.

They were not hot.

And yet, there was something tangible about them. These flames did not burn, not in the conventional sense. Robin blinked as a stray ember, white as a snowflake, settled on her nose and alighted itself there. Unlike the snow, it was warm, but it did not burn. Nay, it smoldered. Warm in the wintry climate, Robin scrunched up her nose and it drifted away too, rejoining its kindred.

"This is the ultimate logia-type that I know of." Naruto explained. "The Taiyō Taiyō no mi. Nothing can burn brighter or hotter than the sun itself. As you can see, I can control the temperature of the flames at will: white flames are weaker than blue, and blue is weaker than my strongest flame, the Amateratsu." The name struck a chord in her mind, forcing her to recall that period in which she'd first seen Naruto emerge from the flames themselves, utterly unscathed.

"Nani?" Robin eyed the strangely colored flames with thinly concealed skepticism. "This is...a Devil's fruit?" Even as she watched, his right arm was reforming; molding itself in the shape of a human hand once again. With that, the wave of heat dissipated, and she was left in the bitter chill of the winter ocean once more. Even with the thick fur jacket wrapped around her frail shoulders, she couldn't drive the morning chill from her bones entirely.

"Naturally." Naruto answered. "But enough about me. I'd much rather see your ability." Genuine curiosity shone within his eyes, but in Robin's they dimmed. She could sense that his crew was beginning to stir below-decks. Did she truly dare to display the ability that had made her an outcast once already? No matter how hard she tried, she could only think of one thing, and it was the furthest thing from the powers of the Hana Hana no mi.

Inexplicably, Nico Robin found herself dwelling upon the past. She knew and accepted that Naruto's power was one of the sun; his very smile seemed to radiate warmth on an almost spiritual scale. That much, she could accept, from his demonstration. It explained his tolerance to the flames, to his slow and inexorable pace as he led her through the inferno and to safety.

It did not, however, explain that foul and ghoulish armor she'd first seen him wearing.

_'Then what was that iron shell he was encased in?'_ She clearly remembered the black sheen of unbreakable metal; that substance flaking away from his face and oozing back into his skin, even during the midst of the Buster Call. Was that too, an ability of his? No, something seemed _off_ about it. Surely she'd read about such a phenomenon before but where? The scene escaped her when she tried to think of it; what she'd read of the Poneglyphs.

That was it!

...is something wrong?" Naruto must have noticed her discretion; because he was frowning when Robin finally came back to herself. But now she was able to meet his gaze. It was all so obvious! How else could he have access to such a technology! Part of her cringed away from her discovery, while the other half embraced it. If Naruto truly was that interested in her abilities, then that meant that he, too, shared and interest in the Poneglyphs, surely!

"Before I show you anything, I have a question." Kami, did she truly sound so serious? She, a mere child, was speaking to the ship's captain as though he were her equal, not her better, as most would have initially assumed. But Naruto, as always, took it in stride. Surely he must have, because his smile only grew into a pleasant and exuberant grin at the mention of this question.

"Ask away!" He exclaimed! "I'll answer anything!"

_"Can you read the Poneglyphs?"_

The smile fell from his face like water.

"I expected as much." Naruto's words lacked heat, however, and he stared at the floor. Robin eagerly awaited his answer_-whatever it was-_with a strange tonic of anticipation and dread. She braced one foot against the railing, preparing herself for any response that he might give. Because Naruto wasn't smiling; because his expression had turned dour, a sickly, deathly pale.

"Yes." He relented at last, as if he were genuinely pained to admit it. "I...can read them."

The air gushed from her lungs in welcome relief.

_"Dereshishishishi!" _Robin laughed, _actually laughed_ in the same way that Saul once had.

Robin grinned beneath her bangs, the prospect of finding someone like her on this adventure had lifted her spirits considerably. She did a little dance on deck, her cheeks not flushed from the cold, but from exhileration. If felt as thoug all the sorrows of Ohara were being plucked from her soul; leaving her with the memories, but older and wiser for it. And it felt so good! For a moment, just a moment, it was enough to make her forget all the pain she had endured thus.

"Dereshishishi?" Naruto blinked, abruptly aghast at the strange sound. "What on earth?"

"I'm laughing!" She exclaimed in a rare moment of exubrance. "Here, look!"

Naruto, despite himself, couldn't help but to smile as Robin raised her arms and exhaled sharply. Robin could already feel her enthusiasm fading however, even as she drew in the neccessary amount of power required for the technique she was about to perform. Naruto had merely suppled her with an affirmative. She did not know whether he spoke truth or falsehood, though she sincerly hoped it was the latter.

But she resolved to push through her hesistation and, in good faith, began.

"**Dos Fleur...(Two flower)**

Regardless, Robin did as she was told. She closed her eyes, folded her arms, palms splayed outward. A moment later, someone guffawed loudly. Robin's eyes shot wide open. Naruto had scarcely budged an inch, the expression on his face remained terse, almost expectant. It was another, a member of his crew, that had made the loud exclamation.

"Kami have mercy!"

Naruto and Robin turned toward the voice as one, though Robin immediately cringed away from them. Sauntering towards them was a deceptively calm blond bombshell who looked to be somewhere between her mid-to-late thirties in the least. Garbed in skintight pants and an open-vested grey blouse, she carried herself_-and a bottle of sake-_with all the pride of a woman who knew what men wanted _and_ knew that she had it.

Currently, her hazel orbs were affixed to the extra limbs, two arms to be exact, that had just miracously sprouted from Robin's shoulders. Under such instense scrutiny the girl quickly faltered; the arms dissipating harmlessly into flower petals as she skittered backwards and took refuge behind Naruto. Despite this, the blond did not let up her leer in the slightest.

"Who in the hell is this squirt?" Only now when she spoke did Robin notice that the woman had a noticeable slur to her voice. "Somebody new?" Robin cringed at the noticeble odor on her breath; most likely a result of too much sake. However such thought of mentioning such a thing was currently far from her mind. Perhaps even moreso, now that the ruckus seemed to have attracted the crew's attention.

"Knock it off Ba-chan!" Naruto snapped back. "You're scaring her!"

_"Ba-chan?" _The blond glowered; subsuquently tightening her hand into a fist. "Kozo...how many times do I have to tell you...

_**WHAM!**_

...NOT TO CALL ME THAT!"

Seconds later, he bore a very large bump swelling on his head.

"OW!" Naruto, quick to recover, rapidly rubbed at it. "Damnit Ba-chan! No fair using Haki! Aren't you supposed to keep me from getting injured?"

_**"What was that!"**_

Naruto made a squelching sound.

"N-Nothing."

Robin swallowed.

_'I-I've never seen such a terrifying woman in my life..._

"Oi, oi!" A man's voice bellowed from below decks. "The kid has a point, Tsunade." Robin's eyes lit with recognition for only the second time that morning. Staggering up from the galley, looking deathly pale and hungover, was the very same man she'd med only last night. His glazed gaze settled upon her for a moment, plucked eyebrows arching in amusement as he noted the coat around her shoulders.

"Thank you!" Naruto ammended. "Kami, if I knew that you'd be doing this to me everyday I wouldn't have asked you to be my nakama in the first place, Ba-**!"**

_"Brat!"_

**WHAM! **

"OW!" Naruto yelped! "What was that for!"

"That was because you're one hundred years to early to lecture me, you upstart!" Tsunade bellowed!

Robin paled considerably.

_'She does this to him...EVERY DAY?'_

"Now now," Jiraiya feebly raised his hands in mock-surrender. "Can't we all just get along until we get to Sabaody Archipeligo?" This immediately earned the privateer a pair of viscious glares from both of his companions; which in turn, earned the pervert two large welts of his very own. As steam rose from the swelling bumps on his cranium, his comrades leered down at him with an all too eerie killer intent.

"LIKE HELL!"

Despite herself, Nico Robin cringed at the uncanny tandem the two had just performed. She almost felt sorry for the old man. Almost. But not quite. As Naruto and Tsunade continued their senseless bickering, more and more crewmen continued to rise from belowdecks. Ironically, not a one of them expressed even the tiniest iota of concern for either of their comrades, going about their daily duties as though this were a daily occurence.

Which, in all likelihood, it was.

"I take it you've met Lord Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade, neh?"

Robin whirled around in search of the voice and found herself face to face with a man that was many times larger than her. Sporting a grin that was much, much too sharp for her liking. Bearing an enormous bandages sword across his back, he cracked a toothy grin at her. Robin had already cringed aside before she realized it, and he chuckled. How could such a man exist, and on such a ship?"

Like most crewmen, he wore a simple pair of trousers and a vest, though she could only see the latter because his cloak was unbuttoned at the chest. Checkered with an odd embroidery, his sea faring cloak hid most of his muscular physique_-though it was impossible to deny that he was indeed massive-_his visage ultimately betrayed him and gave up his place of origin.

_'Gills?'_

It was only after her eyes trailed over his large, bandages sword, that she noticed the gills. He was a massive behemoth of a many, easily towering over both her and Naruto, had she been standing on his shoulders. Blue skin, whie eyes, and gills. All of that added up to one, undeniable conclusion. What on god's green earth was a fishman doing on a pirate vessel? Their hatred for humans was the stuff of legend. Undeniably nervous, Nico Robin found herself_-and not for the first time-_in serious want of an answers, rather than the fierce and feverish questions that currently bounded around inside her skull.

"A-And you are?" Robin found herself warily asking?

"Kisame Hoshigaki," Still grinning that eerie grin, he inclined a deep and formal bow. "At your service."

"O-Oh." Robin stiffly mirrored the action, telling herself she was shivering from _cold_ not from fear. Before she knew what she was doing she mumbled the customary greeting and upon raising her gaze; squeamishly realized that Kisame was _still_ grinning. Despite herself, Nico Robin decided that she did not like, nor did she trust this man. She felt as if she'd just been dipped in frigid waters through which the ship was currently making for port.

"Um...I should be going...

"Oi, Kisame!" Naruto must've broken away from his heated debate with Tsunade because_-thank kami-_he chose that opportunity to shout. "Where's Shikamaru?" Forced to tear his gaze away from Robin, the fishman's overpowering grin didn't lessen even in the slightest. Even as he was left alone with his captain-Jiraiya and Tsunade departed to take their own tasks-he still exuded and eerily nonchalant smile.

"I think he's still sleeping, Senchou."

"Well, wake his ass up!" Naruto barked, striding up to them even as he gave the order! "We need to get the lead out and get our heading here!" Caught under the unflinching glare of his captain, the fishman spared a glance for Robin_-creepy, she told herself-_and offered that he would personally go below and drag him up. Naruto gave a snorted reply and swept back toward Robin before the swordsman had even finished speaking.

"Well, see to it then!" Robin didn't catch Kisame's reply; because Naruto abruptly bent down to sweep her off her feet-again!-and onto his shoulder. Deprived of her customary footing she had just enough time to catch hold of her jacket. Strangely enough, the cold deserted her the moment she found herself seated upon her shoulder. She supposed it had something to do with his flame ability; or so she surmised.

"Is he really your nakama? She inquired openly of Kisame.

"Who, Kisame?" Naruto chuckled. "Of course! He's been on this ship even longer than I have!" Was it just her, or did his laugh sound just a tad forced? "Anyway, there's still the matter of your induction." Even as he said this, the captain was taking lengthy strides toward the wheelhouse, heading from aft to port. Robin abruptly realized that there was a mug of rum in his hand, even as he deftly snatched it up from a nearby table.

_'What is he...**!'**_

By the time she realized his intentions, Naruto had already reached the wheelhouse. Three strides later, and he was at the helm, overlooking his sparse crew, men swabbing the decks, rigging the lines, and raising the anchor. Even as he raised the tankard high, everyone seemed to take notice of him. If they realized his intentions, then they did their level best to remain silent.

"OI! Listen up, you cack-handed apes!" Naruto shouted! "I have an announcement!"

All eyes fell upon the captain.

"Yarou-domo!" Naruto bellowed loudly. "I give you our newest nakama!" He gestured grandly to Robin, now a beet, flushing red. "The so-called "devil child" we rescued from the land of Ohara las night!" A murmured chuckle went up at the term "Devil Child" and Robin as left aghast for the second time. _The fools!_ Did they not realize the peril they put themselves in? They were making an enemy of the World Government just by having her on their ship!

"Her name is Nico Robin!" Naruto hushed them all with her name alone. "Tell me-

_"Oh no. No no no no..._

"Does she look like a devil to you, lads?" Naruto demanded hoarsely. "Let any man speak if he so believes this to be true!" Robin was left speechless. And within good reason, as not so much as cricket could be heard upon deck. Men, women, young and old, all paused and gave the captain their full attention as they left their tasks aside. All that could be heard was the gentle sloshing of the waves against the hull; because not a soul spoke out against Robin.

"DOES SHE?" Naruto boomed imperiously. "Speak now, or forever hold your peace on this voyage!"

The silence was deafening.

"Well-_And here he drastically lowered his voice-_there you have it." He flashed her a bedazzling grin. "Now, lads, lets give Nico Robin a proper welcome, shall we!" Robin could not believe her eyes nor ears. Even as she watched Kisame leading a man with bound hair-in the shape of a pineaple she mused-onto deck, she simply could not hope to surmise the extent of her shocl.

"Senchou!" The cry went up!

"Break out the booze!" Naruto cackled! "Then get back to work! We make for Saboady Archipeligo!"

And it was in that precise instant that Nico Robin fainted.

**_A/N: Hahaha! I'm just on a One Piece roll this month! Yup, Naruto has a logia fruit that burns even hotter than the Magu Magu or the Mera Mera! Haha! Take that, Akainu! Anywho, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and truly, thank you so much for the reviews! It does an ill man good to know that, even as my body fails I can still write such wonderful chapters and get so much feedback! (sniffle) Alright, enough with the pity party, as of next chapter, we may or may not enter a brief timeskip, as Naruto's crew eventually makes its way to..._**

**_...Sabaody Archipeligo!_**


	3. Arrival

**A/N: Ara, how long has it been since I last touched this story? Three years, I think? Well I've been on an updating craze where all my One Piece fics are concerned-as I'm sure you've noticed-and this one's next on the list! I know this chapter might _seem_ all sunshine and butterflies, but a storm is coming, one that's about to upset Robin's relative week of peace and harmony. And with that minor old spoiler divulged...**

**...the next chapter of Nakama! Sorry if its short! My muse can only work so hard!**

_"Welcome to the crew!"_

_~Naruto D. Uzumaki._

**Arrival**

_"Land ho!"_

Robin bolted upright in her bed, drawn from the depths of her slumber by the lookout's cry. From above her on deck, she heard the sounds of commotion the familiar drumming of feet that accompanied the approach to land, crew members rushing from their posts to prow, shimmying up the rigging or hanging off ropes, shielding their eyes to stare long and hard at the shimmering harbors to which they were sailing. She could feel this anticipation hanging in the air, eagerly awaiting the adventures ahead.

Tossing back the sheets, she all but leapt from the bed. Bare feet padded against the deck, her new, blue dress-having been forced to discard the old one-swishing gently against her bare ankles, tickling her legs as she walked to the upper decks. Every bunk she passed was empty; it would seem she'd been the last to wake, ater all.

The temperature rose as she ascended, spiking to uncomfortable levels. Sweat beaded upon her brow, but still she pressed on.

Squinting against the sun, little Robin stepped onto the deck. The majestic ship creaked and groaned around her; its sails rippled, fat with wind. Everyone was moving around her, each attending to a given task as they neared their destination. In the distance Robin could see it; Saboady Archipeligo, little more than a speck of green on the horizon.

"Watch out, Robin-chan!"

Robin skittered out of harms way, and not a moment too soon; because a large, heavy-set man toting an equally large barrel barged through where she'd been standing. Chouji, she believed his name was. He shot her a small smile as he walked past, one Nico Robin meekly returned. Even after spending nearly a week on board the _Kyuubi _she still couldn't believe how friendly everyone was. Especially to her. They were almost always laughing or smiling or shouting or something. The ship functioned with an easy, friendly camraderie, one that bespoke of countless years spent together and many more to come. But that wasn't what affected her most, oh heavens no.

They treated her like a human being. They always adressed her by name, always invited her to join them. It was...nice. She was unaccustomed to such things-having been tormented most of her young life-and she was still learning her way around the ship, but it was nevertheless a pleasure to know she had a place here amongst Naruto's crew. What was the word he'd used?

_Nakama._

Just thinking about it sent a flock of butterflies fluttering inside her stomach. How could one word make her so happy? She couldn't understand it! Within the span of a mere seven days, her life had been so dramatically altered, and yet when she thought about it, she couldn't help but smile. Yes, she still missed her mother_-whom she'd scarcely had the chance to know-_something terrible but whenever she was with Naruto and the crew she felt what she had always been lacking; a family.

"Robin-chaaaan!" A female voice called down to her, "Good morning!"

Robin glanced up to find a blur of purple above the rigging; Ino Yamanaka was waving down to her from the crow's nest, spyglass in hand. Robin rather liked Ino. If there was anyone else whom she felt truly connected -save Naruto-then it was the fashionable Yamanaka. She was like the sister Robin had never known; always there, always looking out for her. Be it offering to braid her hair, sit with her, when she had nightmares in the midst of a storm or on occasion just to talk. Girl talk. The sort of thing a sister did. Stuff a family _would _do.

As Robin looked on the spyglass slipped from the Yamanaka's fingers and spiralled toward the deck, much to the consternation of the latter. A brief use of her _Hana Hana no mi_ powers sent it skitering back to the blond before it could slip into the sea, plucking it out of the rigging with an ease to which she was growing more and more accustomed.

"Arigatou!"

Robin gave a tiny wave and resumed her tour of the deck, careful not to be a bother. Everywhere she saw familiar faces; from the eerily calm Sai-honestly his lack of emotion worried her sometimes-conversing with an irate Haruno Sakura, to the stoic Neji Hyuuga, keeping watch on the wheelhouse. She still had trouble adjusting to the sheer scope of it all; the Kyuubi was easily _twice _the size of a Buster Call ship, bristling with a host of weapons and a crew she couldn't quite comprehend.

There must've been at least several hundred pirates in her field of vision and yet everyone despite_-or perhaps in spite of-_their various quirksmoved with a fluidity that both alarmed and confounded her all at once. How they did it was beyond her; only that it worked and no one seemed to mind the prescence of a little girl aboard their otherwise impenetrable warship.

"You look a little lost."

Robin reared her head back as a shadow fell over her; she felt no fear, because she recognized its owner immediately. As if the jagged, spiky pineapple-shaped ponytail that was his hair wasn't enough-that alone more than contrasted with the dark, slicked green vestments he wore-she had seen his face multiple times, considering he always appeared to be napping on deck. He'd traded in his long-sleeved cardigan in favor of a lighter tee, the only concession he'd made in the face of this insufferable heat.

"Shikamaru-san?"

"You're looking for," Abruptly, navigator yawned, loud enough to put another hole through the ozone layer. "Naruto, right?"

Robin nodded. She saw Jiraiya-san and Tsunade-san, even Kisame could be seen in the rigging, but of the captain, there was none to be seen.

"Over yonder." Shikamaru pointed, indicating the far end of the galleon. "He's been standing there since morning." A small smile plucked at his lips. "I think he's been waiting for you." Robin followed his gaze, past the rigging, past the massive mast, past those dozens of face she knew well enough to name and sure enough, there he was.

Naruto stood at the prow; he cut a solitary, pensive figure amongst his men, issuing orders and giving commands like it was no one's business. If he was at all affected by the heat wave, he did precious little to show it; his dark garments remained relatively unchanged since last she'd seen him, though he'd lowered the cowl from his visage.

"For the last time, no." he groused at a young woman bearing flaxxen gold hair. "I already told you, Yugito! We need at least three _hundred_ barrels of ale for the party, not two! I swear, we seem to pick up more people whenever we make port!"

"That's hardly _my_ fault, captain." As Robin looked on Yugito jotted down something on a notepad, doubtlessly making adjustments to the ship's stock. "It probably has something to do with your charisma." She brushed hand up to fiddle with her braid as she spoke, winding her fingers within the long braid whilst she stared at her captain.

"You wound me!" he exclaimed in mock shock.

Yugito giggled.

"Now now, I'm only joking." she brushed her hip against his a tad too closely as she moved away. "I'll make sure everythin's ship-shape while you're on shore leave."

"See that you do!" Naruto laughed heartily.

Robin frowned as Yugito sashayed away. She felt a strange prickling in her heart at the sight. _Strange._ Naruto was like an older brother -or a potential father figure- to her, so why should she feel jealous? She was only eight! He had at least a decade on her, if not more! Nevertheless, she couldn't help but feel glad as the buxom blonde moved to the aft of the Kyuubi, and away from Naruto.

Furtively she studied him now as he stepped away from the deck railing and returned the hood to his head. He stood there a moment with his head bowed, arms hanging loosely at his sides, and Robin watched him. He cocked his head as she looked on and had one looked closely, they might have detected a flash of surprise in his saphiric gaze; they might have seen a trace of amusement flicker beneath those blond locks peeking out from the shadows of his cowl.

He greeted her with a grin as she approached

"Sleep well?"

Robin nodded in a swift, jerky bob, the motion sending her raven tresses bouncing when she moved to stand beside him. He reached down to ruffle her hair, burnishing the tips of her ears a bright, abashed pink. Why it bothered her was beyond explanation, and it doubtlessly would for many more years to come.

"Why are we?"

"We're nearing Saboady Archipeligo." Naruto explained, smiling into the sea breeze. "After all we've been though, I thought the crew could use a little shore leave. But there's another reason we're here."

"Another reason?"

"We're picking up an old friend of mine during our shore leave." His reply was ambiguous if not wistful. "If we have time, we might be able to stop at the amusement park once we've finished." Those words sent a silent thrill through her. Saboady Park, he said?! It was every child's dream to visit the wonder's of Saboady, but she'd never been able to go. Until now. As if sensing her thoughts, Naruto grinned.

"Care to join us?"

Robin nodded; a swift, jerky bob that sent her hair bouncing once more. She'd never been to an amusement park before! She'd only ever seen pictures of Saboady, to see it now, growing steadily larger on the horizon was like something out of a dream.

"But we have to be careful," Naruto cautioned. "We can party as loud as we like, but if we piss off a Tenryubito...well, lets just say it won't end well." He proceeded to explain to her just what a Celestial Dragon was and how they reveled in the slave trade. He'd gone into great detail the wrath a single one could bring down on their heads, if they weren't cautious. If, for any reason, they struck or attacked a tenryubito, an Admiral would be called out to eliminate them.

Her enthusiasm quelled by the thought, Robin dithered in place.

"Just stick close to me and you'll be alright, neh?" Naruto laughed, his hand heavy on her shoulder . "Oh, that's right!" He surprised her by smacking a fist into his palm. "We discovered this up at the last port." He reached into the breast pocket of his coat and extricated a wanted poster. Robin blinked at it. Found herself staring back. At herself.

WANTED! DEAD OR ALIVE!

Robin started in surprise.

79,000,000 berri?! She had a bounty that high?!

"Not bad for a first bounty!" Naruto chuckled. "They must really want your head!"

Robin sputtered softly, her cheeks flaming.

"Just how high is your bounty, anyway?"

The blond grinned.

"Why, I'm so glad you asked!" aruto Nreached in the hem of his captain's coat once more, this time extracting a rumpled piece of paper. Revealed was his exact likeness, his visage grinning defiant and proud for all the world to see, wreathed in tongues of fire and flame.

"Inferno" Uzumaki Naruto." Robin read aloud, her little eyes growing larger with each word. "Wanted for crimes against the goverment and humanity, Dead or Alive."

_"Four hundred and fifty million?!"_

**A/N: Hahaha! I'm just on a One Piece roll this month! We've arrived at Sabaody but as you can see, there are dark clouds blooming on the horizon. Robin is still very much wanted and about to set foot into one of the most potentially dangerous places on earth...this cannot possibly end well. ****Oh, and please don't forget to review until my ears fall off. Although, being a skeleton...I have no ears to listen! YOHOHOHOHO! SKUULLL JOOOOKE! Look forward to plenty of action of next chappy people! There's gonna be some chaos!**

**So...in the immortal words of Atlas...**

**...Review, would yoy kindly?**

**R&R! =D**


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